Will modify land Bill to accommodate Trinamool’s views, says Jairam

Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said there were no major differences between the Union government and the Trinamool Congress on the Land Acquisition Bill to be tabled in Parliament soon. He also said the Central government would modify the Bill to accommodate the Trinamool’s views.

“There is not much difference between us now. There is need for clarity in the Bill which Debuda has addressed. We will get the Bill modified,” Ramesh said after a meeting with Debabrata Bandopadhyay, TMC Rajya Sabha member and chairman of the committee set up by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to frame a land policy.

Ramesh, who arrived in Kolkata on Saturday to discuss the proposed Bill, had also met Banerjee and discussed the issue. After the meeting with Bandopadhyay, Ramesh

said he had explained hat the Bill did not provide for the government acquiring land for private purposes.

 “An issue that has been raised is clarity on acquisition by government for private companies for private purposes. I have explained to Debuda that this Bill provides for acquisition by the government for private companies for public purposes like say power plants or railway projects or port projects,” said Ramesh.

Ramesh and Bandopadhyay also discussed the title deeds, or ‘pattas’, that had been distributed to the people under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. The minister clarified: “That is part of the Bill”.Bandopadhyay also expressed his happiness over the new draft of the Bill. “This is far more superior than the earlier draft. In the draft, it is mentioned that no land will be acquired without rehabilitation and resettlement of people. Moreover, it also addresses the issue which we were stressing, that land is not merely property, but livelihood and compensation should be based on this,” Bandopadhyay told The Indian Express over the phone.

Ramesh held a 40-minute discussion with Chief Minister Banerjee on Saturday night to explain the provisions of National Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill 2011.

The Trinamool Congress, an important constituent of the United Progressive Alliance government, had expressed reservations on certain provisions of the Bill.

One of the major bone of contentions was that while the Central government said there should be a scope for purchase of 80 per cent land by industrialists and the government can acquire the remaining 20 per cent, Banerjee contended that the entire land should be purchased by private parties.

In last two days, the Union minister tried to sort out the differences with the second biggest constituent of the UPA.

In an interview to a regional channel on Saturday, Banerjee had said the new land Bill draft prepared by the Centre was much more positive than the previous one. She said she would give her views in a few days after thoroughly studying the document.

“Our state government has also made a new land policy and that says we will not acquire land forcibly. Exceptions could be made for purposes like defence, national security and railways which are essentially public utility services,” she had said.